Qatar will field a 180-member team for the 19th edition of the Asian Games at Hangzhou, China, which will run from September 23 to October 8, announced the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) late on Wednesday night.

Qatari athletes will compete in 26 disciplines — shooting, athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, esports, equestrian, football, fencing, gymnastics, golf, handball, karate, sailing, squash, swimming, tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, table tennis, volleyball, 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, weightlifting and archery.

On Wednesday, QOC Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain met with officials of various Qatari sports federations that will participate in the Asian Games.

He praised their efforts in preparing and equipping Qatari athletes for the continental event and hoped they could achieve results which reflect the development of Qatari sports.

“Qatar, being represented by 180 athletes, will have a significant presence in the upcoming Asian Games. I’m sure our sportspersons will be able to deliver impressive performances. We wish our athletes the best and hope they can continue the successes we achieved in previous Games. By emerging as successful, they’ll be able to showcase a positive image for Qatari sports,” said Al Buainain.

Qatar’s beach volleyball team will kick off the country’s campaign at the Games on Tuesday, September 19, four days ahead of the official opening ceremony. The football and volleyball teams will start their fight for top honours a day later.

While Qatar’s U23 football team have been drawn into Group A with Japan and Palestine, the volleyball side will play in Group E with Thailand and Hong Kong.

In handball, defending champions Qatar will begin their campaign on Sunday, September 24, in Group B, alongside South Korea and Hong Kong.

Qatar won handball gold at 2014 Incheon Asian Games and then defended the title four years later at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.

Al Buainain highlighted the participation of a significant number of young and promising Qatari athletes in Hangzhou. He said it was all part of the strategy to prepare teams for the 2030 Asian Games, which Qatar will host.

The QOC Secretary-General was also confident of the success of the 19th Asian Games in China.

“We’re confident our friends in China are capable of organizing a remarkable edition of the Games, given the extensive preparations for the event and the organizational expertise gained from hosting several major sports events, including the 24th Winter Olympic Games in Beijing last year,” he said.

Qatar’s Chef de mission — Rashid Saeed Adiba — said preparations for the Qatari delegation’s travel and stay in Hangzhou had reached its final stages.

“We’ll spare no effort in supporting all our federations and participating athletes, and we’ll work to overcome any challenges they may face to enable them to deliver impressive performances befitting Qatar and its sporting status,” he said.

Qatar had signed off the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games with a tally of 13 medals including six gold, four silver and three bronzes.

Qatar won four gold medals in athletics through late Abdalelah Haroon (400M), Ashraf El Seify (hammer throw) and Abdulrahman Samba (400M hurdles). They also took the men’s 4x400M relay title.

While Tosi Ogunode (100M) and Yasser Bagharab (3,000M steeplechase) won silver medals, Abubaker Haydar finished third in the men’s 800M.

Qatar’s beach volleyball and handball teams stole the limelight by claiming gold medals.

While Faris Ibrahim claimed a silver in men’s 94kg weightlifting event, Sheikh Ali Al Thani clinched silver in equestrian’s individual showjumping event. While Hamad Ali Al Marri claimed bronze in Men’s double trap shooting event, the showjumping team also ended with a third-place finish.

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